No entry for locals in Goa casinos from Mar
PTI, PANAJI | 03 January 2014 12:53 IST
Locals domiciled in Goa would be debarred from entry to casinos in the state from March 1 onwards, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar announced here today.
Parrikar said that new rules for the Goa Gaming Act would be notified by February 28.
"There will be an important clause in the new rules which will ban entry of locals into casinos," Parrikar said, adding that locals would be debarred from entering both onshore as well offshore casinos in Goa.
Only tourists would be allowed to enter casinos, he said.
The new rules would make it mandatory for customers to prove that they are not domiciled in Goa, by producing government documents, he said.
The Goa government would a appoint gaming commissioner to regulate the affairs of the casino industry, the Goa chief minister said.
"Initially, we may ask a district collector to be a gaming commissioner, before a full time officer is appointed," he said.
Goa has four operational offshore casinos and more than 12 are in various five-star hotels in the state.
When asked if the decision would impact Goa's casino business, Parrikar said, "I am not worried whether their business gets affected. It was a policy decision of the government and we are implementing it".
